My mom, Billie McMahan-Haske,
ordered My First Cookbook from
Imperial Sugar when I was in 1st
grade. She always said “yes” to my
entreaties to mess up the kitchen
creating cakes, cookies, brownies — all things delicious. She was the
first of three women who guided
me. My grandmother Helen Haske,
Rogers City native, baked the best
bread. She could easily stretch
a package of yeast to make four
loaves. She taught me how to knead
and shape and learn the feel of
dough. My maternal grandmother,
Louise McMahan, was a southern farmer’s wife.
She started every breakfast with tender buttermilk
biscuits and ended each day with buttermilk cornbread
served hot out of the cast iron skillet. She too
was an excellent teacher.
The name “Three Heart
Bakery” is a tribute to
the love and lives of
these three women who
shaped my one life and
encouraged my interest
in baking. And it
reflects how the lives of
these three women were
shaped by their faith in
the Father, the Son, and
the Holy Spirit; God
is three in one. Also,
hearts are fun. I was born on Valentine’s
Day so from day
one my life has been
hearts galore!

The Mission

I love to bake.
It’s the ability to
create; taking raw
ingredients and
turning them into something that titillates all
the senses and makes people happy. As a child I
observed that what I did in the kitchen could result
in my family’s pleasure. As my interest progressed, I
became fascinated with technique — how to properly
measure, the different ways to mix, how each step in
the process is inextricably connected to the previous
step. I like the science — why does bread rise? Yeast,
fermentation, simple sugars, carbon dioxide bubbles
trapped in the gluten matrix. And everyone likes
good bread with texture and crust and flavor. I chose
bread as my focus for the bakery because it is one
of the staple foods. It finds its way to nearly every
table at mealtime. Baking is not a solitary pursuit.
Ultimately it leads to communing and sharing with
friends and family. I wanted to create a friendly place
where people would be drawn by the aroma of fresh
bread, where we would gather around the table to
share our lives.

The Bakery

When you walk into the bakery, the aroma will
be tantalizing. You will see large, crusty loaves of
bread, each hand-shaped. You will see pastries
and cakes and cookies — the transformation of
flour and leaven into delicious treats. All bakery
products are a result of top quality ingredients,
tested recipes, and fastidious care. The bakery
is for our community — a place to gather, share
stories and laughter, a place to savor the tastes,
aromas, and memories. May you enjoy the baked
goodness that comes from Three Heart Bakery.